In Duda v. Standard Insurance Company, a recent case decided by the Federal District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, we are reminded of the limits on the type of relief an employer may obtain for participants in its insured ERISA plans. In this case, the employer filed suit against the insurer of its long-term disability plan under Section 502(a)(3) of ERISA, which provides the following:

“A civil action may be brought…(3) by a participant, beneficiary, or fiduciary (A) to enjoin any act or practice which violates any provision of this title or the terms of the plan, or (B) to obtain other appropriate equitable relief (i) to redress such violations or (ii) to enforce any provisions of this title or the terms of the plan.”

A suit brought by a fiduciary under 502(a)(3) is preferable since the de novo standard of review, which is less deferential to the party making the initial benefit determination, would apply. The court determined that the employer was not a plan fiduciary for purposes of making claims determinations, and therefore could not rely on this provision to sue the fiduciary that held such authority (i.e., the insurer). The court noted that even if the employer was considered to be a fiduciary, ERISA does not afford a fiduciary the right to sue if the relief sought can be obtained directly by the participant under 502(a)(1)(B), which provides the following:

“A civil action may be brought …(1) by a participant or beneficiary… (B) to recover benefits due to him under the terms of his plan, to enforce his rights under the terms of the plan or to clarity his rights to future benefits under the terms of the plan.”

Thus, an employer’s leverage, if any, to pressure insurers to pay benefits rests with the power to move the business to a different insurer. Of course, that leverage is significantly impaired if the insurer is not interested in keeping the business.